Relentlessly pursuing advancement in the forage industry.

For 25 years and counting, FGI has led the forage industry with innovative genetic discoveries, variety developments and cutting-edge technologies. We have been first to market with varieties improving winterhardiness, yield potential, performance and protection against pests.

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The Great Trait.

The HarvXtra® Alfalfa trait is the most advanced alfalfa trait on the market and the first genetically engineered alfalfa trait developed to maximize quality by reducing the amount of lignin in the plant compared to conventional alfalfa at the same stage of maturity.

For growers, this means they have the flexibility to produce higher-quality forage or delay harvest to maximize yield potential, depending on weather or operational needs.

Advanced Beyond Conventional Breeding
The genetically engineered HarvXtra® Alfalfa trait technology improves alfalfa beyond what is possible through conventional breeding techniques. Gene suppression rewires the way alfalfa plants make lignin. This changes both the lignin content and its composition while maintaining the high-quality characteristics that matter most.

Stacked With Roundup Ready® Technology
With the widest cutting window in the business combined with unsurpassed weed control, growers can get more higher-quality alfalfa.

HarvXtra® Alfalfa in Action

Forage Quality Like No Other
By reducing the amount of lignin in the plant, the HarvXtra® Alfalfa trait technology fundamentally changes the relationship between forage quality and stage of maturity. Less acid detergent lignin (ADL) and higher neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD) improves digestibility and can command a higher price per ton come harvest.

HarvXtra® Alfalfa provides on average 14 to 18 percent higher relative forage quality (RFQ) and NDFD across cuttings than conventional varieties harvested at the same stage of maturity.*

Wider Cutting Windows, Higher Yield Potential
Fewer cuttings have the potential for more yield over time, less stress and lower harvest costs. The HarvXtra® Alfalfa trait lets growers delay harvest for seven to 10 days to increase tonnage without sacrificing yield quality.

Farmers can achieve at least 20 percent higher yield potential* by delaying harvest at 35-day cutting intervals. This is based on three cuttings at 35-day intervals compared to four cuttings at 28-day intervals, with the three-cut system yielding more over the life of the stand.

*Data comes from FGI trials comparing HarvXtra® Alfalfa with Roundup Ready® Technology 2017 commercial varieties to commercial checks. Information is based on data from the 2017 commercial fall dormancy 4 (FD4) products available on the market. Trials were seeded in 2013 and harvested in 2014 and 2015 from Nampa, ID; Touchet, WA; Boone, IA; West Salem, WI; and Mt. Joy, PA.

The HarvXtra® Alfalfa Trait in the Field

“After we started the first cutting this year, it rained every couple of days, taking us more than a week to finish cutting. We cut the HarvXtra® alfalfa last — about 10 days after the first fields were cut — along with a conventional alfalfa field for comparison. The samples we pulled showed that the HarvXtra® had a 42-point advantage in relative forage quality and scored higher than the conventional alfalfa in other feed value areas.”

- Mike Brunmeier, Wisconsin Grower

Calculate Your Yield Potential

Use this calculator to discover what the HarvXtra® Alfalfa trait can do for your operation.

For the 2019 growing seasons, growers must direct any product produced from HarvXtra® Alfalfa with Roundup Ready® Technology seed or crops (including hay and hay products) only to US domestic use. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product.

Due to factors outside of Forage Genetics International’s (FGI) control, such as weather, crop production patterns, and other factors, results to be obtained, including but not limited to yields or financial performance, cannot be predicted or guaranteed by FGI. Results are based upon FGI controlled tests and field trials and public trials. Results may vary.